The Chamber Of Commerce's Deeply Dishonest Attack On Grayson

October 08, 2010 1:54 pm ET

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce's new ad attacking Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) labels the congressman as "Pelosi's lapdog" and "extreme" to accuse him of ignoring the problems facing Florida. The ad decries Grayson's support for health care reform and a "job-killing energy tax," as well as his involvement in "union giveaways." In reality, the Affordable Care Act will reduce the deficit and strengthen the economy, and the clean energy bill passed by House Democrats would create millions of jobs while costing households only pennies a day. Furthermore, the article cited by the ad to accuse Grayson of "union giveaways" says nothing of the sort; rather, it focuses on a comment Grayson made calling unions the strongest source for "good government" in the United States.

Health
Care Reform Creates Jobs And Reduces The Deficit By Billions

Health Care Reform Will Create Up To 4 Million
American Jobs In The Next Decade. According to the Center
for American Progress, "Relative to baseline employment forecasts from the
Employment Projections Program at the U.S. Department of Labor, we estimate
that moderate medical savings from health care modernization as envisioned
under the legislation now before Congress would lead to an average of 250,000
additional jobs created annually. Under the larger assumption about savings due
to health care reform, 400,000 new jobs a year would be created on
average." [Center for American Progress, New Jobs Through Better
Health Care, January
2010]

Health
Care Reform Would Create Over 17,000 Jobs In Florida. According to the Center for
American Progress, "the reduction in health insurance premiums caused by health
care reform would create" up to 17,417 jobs in Florida. [Center for American Progress, 2/24/10]

CBO: Health Care Reform Package Would Reduce
The Deficit By $138 Billion By 2019. According to the
Congressional Budget Office: "The reconciliation proposal includes
provisions related to health care and revenues, many of which would amend H.R.
3590. It also includes amendments to the Higher Education Act of 1965, which
authorizes most federal programs involving postsecondary education. CBO and JCT
estimate that enacting both pieces of legislation-H.R. 3590 and the
reconciliation proposal- would produce a net reduction in federal deficits of
$138 billion over the 2010-2019 period as result of changes in direct spending
and revenue." [CBO, 3/18/10]

CBO To GOP: Repealing Cost-Saving Provisions
Of The Affordable Care Act Would Increase Deficit By $455 Billion. In
a letter to Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID), the Congressional Budget Office wrote:
"Finally, you asked what the net deficit impact would be if certain
provisions of PPACA and the Reconciliation Act that were estimated to generate
net savings were eliminated-specifically, those which were originally estimated
to generate a net reduction in mandatory outlays of $455 billion over the
2010-2019 period. The estimate of $455 billion mentioned in your letter
represents the net effects of many provisions. Some of those provisions generated
savings for Medicare, Medicaid, or the Children's Health Insurance Program, and
some generated costs. If those provisions were repealed, CBO estimates that
there would be an increase in deficits similar to its original estimate of $455
billion in net savings over that period." [CBO, 8/24/10]

Clean
Energy Legislation Would Create Jobs, Not Kill Them

Clean energy legislation will boost
the economy...

Clean
Energy Legislation Would Boost GDP By Up To $111 Billion. According
to the University of California-Berkeley: "Comprehensive clean energy and
climate protection legislation, like the American Clean Energy and Security Act
(ACES) that was passed by the House of Representatives in June, would
strengthen the U.S. economy by establishing pollution limits and incentives
that together will drive large-scale investments in clean energy and energy
efficiency...New analysis by the University of California shows conclusively
that climate policy will strengthen the U.S. economy as a whole. Full adoption
of the ACES package of pollution reduction and energy efficiency measures would
... boost GDP by $39 billion-$111 billion. These economic gains are over and
above the growth the U.S.
would see in the absence of such a bill." [UC Berkeley, accessed 1/22/10]

Clean
Energy Legislation Would Boost Household Income By Nearly $1,200 Per Year.
According to the University of California-Berkeley:
"Full adoption of the ACES package of pollution reduction and energy
efficiency measures would create between 918,000 and 1.9 million new jobs,
increase annual household income by $487-$1,175 per year... These economic
gains are over and above the growth the U.S. would see in the absence of
such a bill." [UC Berkeley, accessed 1/22/10]

...and create millions of jobs
across the country...

Florida
Will Gain 95,000 Jobs From An Investment In Clean Energy Technologies. According to the Center for American
Progress and the Political Economy Research Institute, "Florida could see a net increase of about
$8.1 billion in investment revenue and 95,000 jobs based on its share of a
total of $150 billion in clean-energy investments annually across the country.
This is even after assuming a reduction in fossil fuel spending equivalent to
the increase in clean-energy investments. Adding 95,000 jobs to the Florida labor market in
2008 would have brought the state's unemployment rate down to 5.2 percent from
its actual 2008 level of 6.2 percent." [Center for American Progress and the
Political Economy Research Institute, Clean-Energy Investment Create
Jobs In Florida, 6/17/09]

Investment
In Clean Energy Technology Would Create Up To 1.9 Million American Jobs. According to the University of
California-Berkeley, "new analysis by the University
of California shows conclusively that
climate policy will strengthen the U.S. economy as a whole. Full
adoption of the ACES package of pollution reduction and energy efficiency
measures would create between 918,000 and 1.9 million new jobs." [UC
Berkeley, accessed 1/22/10]

Every Single State
Will Gain Jobs From An Investment In Clean Energy Technologies. According to the Center for American
Progress, investments in clean energy projects would create 1.7 million
American jobs in every state in the country. [Center for American Progress,The
Economic Benefits of Investing in Clean Energy, 6/17/09]

...at
minimal cost to families.

Reuters: "Climate
Legislation Moving Through Congress Would Have Only A Modest Impact On
Consumers." According
to Reuters: "A new
U.S. government study on Tuesday adds to a growing list of experts concluding
that climate legislation moving through Congress would have only a modest
impact on consumers, adding around $100 to household costs in 2020. Under the
climate legislation passed by the House of Representatives in June,
electricity, heating oil and other bills for average families will rise $134 in
2020 and $339 in 2030, according to the Energy Information Administration, the
country's top energy forecaster." [Reuters, 8/5/09]

EIA: Clean Energy Legislation Would Cost Only
$0.23 Per Day. According
to a House Energy and Commerce Committee factsheet of the Energy Information
Administration's analysis of the American Clean Energy and Security Act:
"The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) has completed an
analysis of the American Clean Energy and Security Act (H.R. 2454), as passed
by the U.S. House of Representatives... The
overall impact on the average household, including the benefit of many of the
energy efficiency provisions in the legislation, would be 23 cents per day ($83
per year).This is consistent with analyses by the Congressional Budget
Office which projects a cost of 48 cents per day ($175 per year) and the
Environmental Protection Agency which projects a cost of 22 to 30 cents per day
($80 to $111 per year)." [House Energy and Commerce Committee, EIA's Economic
Analysis Of "The American Clean Energy And Security Act Of 2009," 8/4/09;
emphasis original]

CBO: In 2020, Cap-And-Trade Will Only Cost An
Average Of $175 Annually, "About A Postage Stamp A Day." In its analysis of the American
Clean Energy and Security Act, the Congressional Budget Office wrote: "On
that basis, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the net annual
economy wide cost of the cap-and-trade program in 2020 would be $22 billion-or
about $175 per household." Rep. Edward Markey noted it was "the cost
of about a postage stamp a day." [CBO, 6/19/09;
House Committee on Energy & Commerce Release, 6/20/09]

Cap-And-Trade Would DECREASE Energy Prices For
Low-Income Americans. In
its analysis of the American Clean Energy and Security Act, the Congressional
Budget Office wrote, "households in the lowest income quintile would see
an average net benefit of about $40 in 2020."
[CBO, 6/19/09;
emphasis original]

CNSNews: Grayson Called Unions "The
Strongest Proponent Of Good Government" In The U.S. The Chamber's ad displays the words
"Union Giveaways" along with the citation "CNSNews.com 4/14/10." A search of
CNSNews.com reveals only one article posted on April 14, 2010 concerning
Grayson and unions. And, in fact, the article says nothing of "union giveaways";
rather, it highlights a comment Grayson made calling unions "the strongest
proponent of good government in this country." The article does not suggest
that Grayson was involved in any wrongdoing. [CNSNews.com, 4/14/10]